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CHILI LIME CUCUMBER NOODLES ON SALTED WATERMELON WITH MINT AND BASIL

June 26th, 2013

pin it!pin it!pin it!pin it!
IT IS. So hot. We celebrated the first weekend of summer pretty hard, so some raw and fresh fare is much needed this week for other reasons–so that we can go about the day a little lighter, a little more energetic, a little more hydrated, maybe even sleep a tiny shred better. Oh, and a little less on the reeking of bourbon front would be awesome too, thanks.

So yeah. This week’s been a little more quiet and calm with plenty of fresh food. I’ve been sinking into a lovely new magazine called Good Company in the mornings (when it’s still cool + lovely) with coffee or an earl grey, and I happened to stumble onto a little piece on the Green Kitchen Stories crew and some of their favourite kitchen items. There was a charming drawing of this little notched peeler. I scanned over the description and saw “life changing,” sort of half believing it… But seriously? If you spend a five’r on anything this summer, maybe you should make it a julienne peeler (I have this one). If you follow me on Instagram, you know I’m all about #fancyladylunch with noodle-yvegetables lately. It just feels so irresistibly clever. A couple seconds of peeling and you have a bowl full of noodles that won’t make your stomach feel grossly full. The flavour building potential is kind of neat too. Lots of possibility.

In the magazine there’s a beautiful zucchini noodle and pesto dish, but I’ve been feeling these cucumber ones the most. They’re so hydrating and crunchy. A little sweetness, chipotle powder for heat, plenty of salt, pepper and lime juice. There’s barely a slick of oil and heaps of arugula, mint and basil. Avocado and pumpkin seeds fill the tangle out. Then you toss the whole thing and drop it on top of a sea-salted wedge of cool watermelon, which acts like a dessert-y afterthought when the noodles are gone, all completely juicy from the salt and extra lime. I kind of feel refreshed just talking about it. Anyway, summer! Days of beaches, bike rides and walking out back to pick dinner at the end of it all. Go after it, friends :)

chili lime cucumber noodles on salted watermelon w/ mint + basilserves: 2notes: If you don’t want to spring for a julienne peeler (I use this Zyliss one), just use a regular vegetable peeler for some beautiful ribbons of cucumber instead. Also, when making the noodles, I usually stop just short of the center where all of the seeds are.

Place the watermelon wedges on two plates. Sprinkle them with a bit of the lime juice, some salt and chipotle powder. Set aside.

Combine the cucumber noodles in a large bowl with the remaining lime juice, more salt + chipotle powder, olive oil, honey/agave, arugula, mint and basil. Toss to evenly mix. Divide the noodles between the 2 plates, placing them on top of the watermelon. Garnish the noodles with the avocado, pumpkin seeds and some fresh pepper. Serve with lime wedges if you like. Eat immediately.

LOVE this recipe so much!!! Everything about it screams summer. Yum. I bought one of those julienne peelers about 10 years ago in some dodgy back-street shop in Thailand and always wished I had bought more. Thankfully they are pretty easy to come by nowadays without having to make a trip to Thailand… although who am I kidding, a trip there sounds wonderful to escape winter down-under ;-)ReplyCancel

I am LONGING for summer to arrive here in the UK – eating beautiful salads, seasonal fruit, ODing on asparagus (while it lasts)but still no sunshine! Maybe July will be our month and if it is, I’m eating this for lunch. I’ve made noodles with courgettes before but never cucumber – definitely something to try!ReplyCancel

Oh – this just looks so. good. Summers get pretty hot here (in Australia, where it’s winter at the moment), so this recipe is going straight to the top of my summer recipe list! I love the idea of salty limey watermelon at the end!ReplyCancel

I love zucchini noodles in the summer but I never thought to make cucumber noodles. My zucchini noodles tend to get a bit “wet” when I spiralize them so I’m definitely going to try these out. They look delicious!ReplyCancel

Marry me? This is so amazingly creative. Too bad I demolished the entire watermelon I had in 1.5 days. Must replenish! I’ve blended watermelon + cucumber before into a juice-smoothie [try it!] which was awesome, so I know these flavors will totally work. Also, LOVE the photo of you sitting in the grass. Gorgeous.ReplyCancel

the combination of summer abundance in this dish is so lovely… the coolness of these summer fruits/veggies/herbs, the crunch of seeds, the noodles, the fullness of avocado, and the the sweet-salty-spicy seasonings… it’s everything i love!ReplyCancel

I am loving issuu, and all the amazing magazines to be found on there. Admittedly, I could fill my house with a hundred print subscriptions, lazily paging through them and drowning in their content, but the online options make an easier place for me to visit without adding to the visual clutter of them laying around. Lord knows I have enough already.

I haven’t jumped on the raw veggies as noodles bandwagon, but this recipe just might push me in that direction because this just looks far too amazing to ignore. I do need to find that tool as well.ReplyCancel

going out and getting one of these julienne peelers asap! i went to a raw vegan restaurant last week and had raw pad thai. so delicious (and FILLING!). since then i have been wondering exactly what tool they use to achieve these dishes. thanks for this! from an southern ontario friend ;)ReplyCancel

I made this dish last night for a cooking club and everyone loved it! The chipotle powder packs a punch but the cucumber and watermelon really mellows it out. Really interesting flavor combination. Thanks for the great recipe!ReplyCancel

Jen30/06/2013 - 1:29 pm

This really is delicious and was so refreshing after a day of too much sun and humidity. I’m allergic to avocado but wanted a soft, creamy component, so I decreased the salt and crumbled in some feta and that worked wonderfully.ReplyCancel

You’re blowing my mind with the preparation of the watermelon in this dish. I’m definitely going to be using it in more savory ways this summer, that is if I don’t pop it all in my mouth first! I’ve always seen those little julienne peelers and wondered if they were worth it…definitely heading out to buy one this week.ReplyCancel

I made this last night and it was sooo delicious! Thank you! I’m so glad to have found your blog, I made the teriyaki eggplant as well and the creamy broccoli salad from last year (which has SUCH an addictive dressing!). I can’t wait to make this particular recipe again though, I think I might add a cup of black beans next time too! You have such a talent!ReplyCancel

I made this tonight and added fresh snap peas from the garden! Terrific recipe! I have so many cucumbers in the garden this year that it is always great to come up with new ways to serve them! Thanks…..ReplyCancel

[…] a julienne peeler. I had it on my wishlist for a while, but after Laura endorsed it alongside this cucumber watermelon stunner, it promptly landed in my mailbox. (You are reading Laura’s blog, The First Mess, right? […]ReplyCancel

[…] every meal. Sliced over breakfast, creamsicle after lunch – heck, we even had Laura’s marinated cucumber noodles over a thick wedge of mango. The good news is, mango season is far from over (it’s not even […]ReplyCancel

[…] herbs such as mint and basil are a perfect compliment to sweet watermelon. The First Mess’ Chili Lime Cucumber Noodles on Salted Watermelon with Mint and Basil would be a great start to a summer dinner […]ReplyCancel

[…] For the Hottest Stretch of Summer How do you stay cool as a cucumber during a heat wave? Since it’s filled with water, turning the green veggie into delicate ribbons should do the trick. Use a julienne peeler or plain old vegetable peeler and stop before you hit the seed-filled center. Served atop watermelon, this meal is as hydrating as it gets. Get the recipe at thefirstmess.com. […]ReplyCancel

[…] with the minor tweaks I made (as you can see I pretty much followed The First Mess to a tee). See here for original. I like to use a spiralizer for making veggie noodles. I love the three-blade […]ReplyCancel

[…] even tastes amazing in pasta? We sure didn’t until we found this unique recipe from The First Mess! The chili lime pasta tops a slab of salted watermelon, creating a flavour experience like no […]ReplyCancel

[…] But Watermelon All Summer” article last week. And I really can’t get these gorgeous Chili Lime Cucumber Noodles with Salted Watermelon that Laura made out of my head. There’s just something about watermelon in July – […]ReplyCancel

[…] the resulting texture was with this kind of preparation. I was perhaps even more astounded when, by Laura’s suggestion, I tried the same technique with cucumber. These noodles remind me of glass noodles—crisp, […]ReplyCancel